Issues regarding the accuracy of sugar, alcohol and probiotic content in kombucha continue to haunt some of the category’s fastest-growing brands, as evidenced by a pair of class action lawsuits filed earlier this month.
The Townshend Group, the Portland, Ore.-based parent company of Brew Dr. Kombucha, Townshend’s Tea Company and Thomas & Sons Distillery, has sold a minority stake in the company to private equity firm Castanea Partners.
At BevNET Live Winter 2017 in Santa Monica, several entrepreneurs, some who sold stake in their company for private equity investment and some who left it on the table, offered their personal experiences dealing with the question of whether to stay independent or not.
Episode 80 features an interview with GT Dave, the founder and CEO of GT’s Kombucha. We also speak with Sean Kelly, the founder and CEO of SnackNation. And in the latest edition of Elevator Talk, we chat it up with Lilly Wunsch, the co-founder and COO of 4th & Heart. This episode is presented by Sovereign Flavors.
Brew Dr. brings on talent from Stumptown; Ocean Spray Cranberries makes new executive position announcements; Scott Lewis leaves VEB for Evolution Fresh; Tom Friscia goes from energy drinks to juice; Welch’s announces new president for U.S. division; Cahillane takes Kellogg’s CEO position; Improper Goods nabs Pok Pol Som operations manager for VP position.
In a conversation with BevNET assistant editor Marty Caballero, Thomas discussed the origins of Townshend’s, a premium tea retailer based in Portland, Ore., and its development of Brew Dr., which has become one of the fastest-growing brands in the breakout kombucha category. This week’s episode of Taste Radio is presented by Virun.
This week’s episode of Taste Radio features a captivating interview with Joth Ricci, a veteran beverage executive with one of the most diverse, interesting and impactful track records of anyone in the industry. Over a 17-year career, Ricci has held roles as president of Stumptown Coffee, president and CEO of Jones Soda and managing director with beverage investment and advisory firm First Beverage Group. We recently traveled to Portland, Ore. to meet with Ricci, who is currently the president/CEO of Adelsheim Vineyard.
BevNET’s Jeff Klineman interviewed Thomas at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif. and found a stirring profile of a company that is balancing growth across three divisions: its largest, a retail kombucha line, as well as on-premise gourmet tea houses and a new distilling operation that repurposes the alcohol generated from kombucha fermentation
